Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 12.djvu/45

 Reminiscences of Last Campaigii Army of Tennessee. 35

Yet General Bragg' s complaint could not have made much impres- sion at Richmond, for Polk, after remaining under suspension a few days, was given an even more responsible position than he had held before.

The real cause of the blunder is open to conjecture. It was gen- erally remarked at the time that Bragg did not seem to know how complete his victory had been. The bold front which Thomas made with his single corps, had the same effect on Bragg which General Forrest's conduct on a similar occasion, a year after, had on himself. Many officers, it was said, high in rank, were for marching into Chat- anooga, even after a lapse of several days. The reports of the peo- ple by whose doors we passed in our advance to Missionary Ridge, confirmed the universal conviction of the complete demoralization of the enemy. Yet we contented ourselves, with what we had done, and soon afterwards, from the heights of Missionary Ridge, in the rap- idly increasing fortifications of the foe, and his daily reinforcements, beheld the real fruits of that contest grow more and more impossible toobtain._ 1192344

Our sojourn on Missionary Ridge was the introduction to that series of privations, which, imposed, as it seemed to us in the ranks, by the incompetency and indifference of our leaders, did more to ruin the army than almost anything else.

General Bragg, although beseiger, began to make preparations to resist an attack. During several days while he was entrenching, the enemy was summoning all his energies to strengthen his ranks, and it was not long before we heard of immense reinforcements, pouring through the mountains to the rescue. General U. S Grant was with them and they gave prompt notice to Bragg of their approach by surprising his extreme left, and thereby opening a way to Chatta- nooga. Their arrival swelled their numbers to over a hundred thou- sand men, and, combined with the presence of their one successful leader. Grant, gave new zeal and courage to the old whipped army of Rosecrans.

Our commander made but feeble attempts at entrenchment., and after his enemy had made the great accessions to his forces above re- ferred to. General Bragg detached Longstreet's corps and hurried it ofit to besiege Knoxville. Even the day before the battle, our com- mand was withdrawn from our position on the Ridge (I was then in Cleburne's command) and we lay sometime, irresolutely at the depot, waiting, as we supposed, to be sent to reinforce Longstreet.

Thus, by his own act, our commander seemed to make his position